Geoplanetical economy guide

This guide separates the developer's descriptions of economic controls from an editorial decision sequence. It does not claim a tested profitable opening, an optimal tax rate, or independently measured economic effects.

What changed in the economy since launch

• 1.0.4 (30 Oct): construction projects no longer freeze forever when money runs out; sovereign interest rates are more realistic; AI countries restructure bad debt earlier; 753 real deposits added. See the 1.0.4 write-up.
• 31 Oct: repaying all restructured debt clears the D rating, and Budget and Finance show the date markets reopen. Expansion costs were rebalanced: workshops cheaper; water, telecoms, hotels, chips and industrial gases dearer.
• 1.0.5 (1 Nov): import and export tariffs can be set per product, with revenue estimates. Investment programmes can be paused and single projects cancelled. See the 1.0.5 write-up.
• 1.0.7 (1 Nov): ports and oil and gas terminals cost half as much and build twice as fast; banks no longer collapse from excess reserves.
• 2 Nov: loans for mines and rigs start repayment only after construction ends, and companies no longer go bankrupt mid-construction while paying on time.

Budget before anything else

Revenue and taxes, Spending, then Apply. The forecast has to exist before Apply is available. Income-tax brackets must rise as income rises, and thresholds must move up. You can switch month and year, set an upper threshold and a marginal rate, add a bracket, and set a personal allowance. Thresholds can follow the median wage, prices, or stay frozen. Capital income can be ordinary, separate, or exempt. A household test is on the same screen.

VAT is set by category. Tariffs and social contributions sit beside the income tax; since 1.0.5 tariffs can be set per product on their own customs screen. Changing a rate does not rewrite the cash balance the same hour. The forecast is the thing to read.

A cash-flow decision sequence

1. If the forecast shows a deficit, compare recurring revenue with recurring spending before adding a project or subsidy. Pause to review the commitments already made.
2. Compare a proposed tax or spending change with its forecast before applying it. Separate a one-off cash receipt from a recurring improvement; do not treat asset sales as permanent revenue.
3. If financing is still needed, inspect market access, the borrowing cap, the offered rate, and added annual interest. Reduce the commitment if its ongoing cost is not supportable.
4. If borrowing is unavailable, read the eligibility and consequences of an IMF programme, money creation, or repayment suspension. None is presented here as a cost-free rescue or a required sequence.

Debt, default, and the printing press

• Borrow money shows whether the market is open, the cap, and the rate, plus treasury after, debt after, and extra annual interest.
• Repay debt and keep a buffer. A default writes down only some eligible debt. Debt financed by the central bank is outside that haircut.
• Create money needs a monetary system you control. The cash you actually receive is worth less than the nominal amount, and prices rise.
• An IMF programme arrives in tranches and comes with a budget review.
• Suspending repayments is the other emergency switch. It is not free.

How to reduce inflation

The developer documents three levers. Each has a cost, and none comes with a published target rate.

1. Stop printing. Create money in Budget → Summary → Emergency measures raises prices and adds debt held by the central bank. If you used it, stop first.
2. Pull money back. Repay the central bank, in the same Budget window, withdraws money from circulation. The amount is capped by your treasury and by the debt the central bank holds.
3. Set the policy rate, if your government controls monetary policy; or restore central-bank independence and let the bank adjust rates automatically. A currency union or a peg can take this lever away, and euro members follow the ECB.

Two side effects to watch: pensions indexed to prices rise with inflation, so the deficit grows; and euro membership checks inflation, deficit, debt and long-term rates before it lets you in. The inflation_shock console command moves the price level from −50% to +1000% if you just want to undo a mess; it turns off achievements. See the command table.

Currency, banks, and ownership

You can leave a shared currency and issue your own. Old debt stays in the old currency. The new currency starts at parity and then floats. Central-bank independence is still a law, not a cheat. Banks show a capital ratio and liquidity. Recapitalize keeps ownership. Recapitalize and nationalize does not. Only a solvent bank can be used for central-bank lending.

Nationalize, privatize, or turn a firm into a cooperative. Buyout can be at market, negotiated, or seizure. Seizure can cut efficiency and invite retaliation. A sovereign fund tracks fund value separately from domestic cash. Selling shares is manual, settles at month end, and may fill only part of the order.

Scale, from the store page

The English Steam page says 100+ goods, about 30 sectors, international trade, 200+ technologies, and 19 fields. Those are store-copy figures, checked 29 Oct 2026. I do not have a second independent count.

No source I found publishes an optimal tax table. The steps above are editorial guidance, not calibrated country-specific advice.